Notes on Growing Up
by elemental573
Summary: Growing up always seems to have a way of changing everything you once knew. If only there was a manual for this sort of thing.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters do not belong to me and are the property of the genius Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: Setting is in modern times and will be in 2 parts with a his & her viewpoints

Notes on Growing Up

Part 1

They had known each other ever since she was three and he was six. Her family; her mother and brand new baby brother, had moved there after her father had died to help her grandfather take care of the shrine. His mother and her mother had immediately become fast friends as they both had in common young children and a missing husband. His father and stepmother and little half bother lived elsewhere and only came down in the summer to spend time with him. He was relatively happy with his life as it was, never having been especially close to his father after he had left his mother and he absolutely did not like his stepmother and only barely tolerated his half brother. But this new complication this little girl next door was quite a disruption to his everyday existence. It seemed that she was always coming over to his house to visit with her mother and he considered her nothing but an annoying tag-a-long.

Being three years younger than him he couldn't understand why Kagome insisted on following him everywhere or why the mothers thought it was cute! Wherever he might hide in the house she had the uncanny knack of finding him. And heavens forbid he should close a door on her and she should start crying! Then his mother would scold him for being rude to his guest. He finally solved the problem by climbing trees. She couldn't follow him up and would usually end up sitting underneath his tree playing and eventually just fall asleep.

A few years older would see him right back to square one however. By seven she had turned into quite the excellent tree climber and would now just follow him right up any tree in either of their yards. Perhaps it was her determination not to be left behind by him that gradually replaced annoyance with curiosity. Instead of playing with dolls or dress up like other girls her age she was always out and about actively exploring or training with her bow or bokken. She really did seem to enjoy new challenges and even got him to teach her some moves occasionally. And of course as his shadow she was a quick learner.

By the time she was ten and he was thirteen they had something else in common; actively annoying little brothers, and curiosity turned into an appreciative camaraderie. Now he was no longer trying to ditch her but instead it was a more common sight to see them reading in the library together, practicing, or perusing the shrine grounds together. He was just getting comfortable with the idea that it might actually be nice having her around when to his complete embarrassment she started to proclaim him as her very best friend to anyone who would listen. He had always been her Sessho for so long growing up together the way they did one would think he'd be calm about it, but it was still something new for him to acknowledge that he might be becoming attached to her. Perhaps a little space might be in order.

Alas his pride would be his folly. When he was fifteen his father, wanting to be a bigger part in the life of his growing up elder son, had moved into town permanently. This meant Inuyasha, his younger half brother, would now be here all the time as well. In fact he had been enrolled into the same school and was even in the same class as Kagome, being the same age. For Sesshomaru his younger half brother was absolutely intolerable now. The brat was just to loud, to brash, and to aggravating. Unfortunately he seemed to get along just fine with Kagome who after the last two years of "space" was unable to understand why Sesshomaru had taken great pains to distance himself from her. A little hurt, she was more than happy to be friends with Inuyasha who had always seemed to like her.

He quickly became a cornerstone in her little group of school friends. He certainly did a better job of fitting in than the coolly reserved Sesshomaru who had always kept the others at a fearfully respectful distance. The older boy never really liked being around the childish exuberance of Kagome's other friends with whom Inuyasha completely fit in. She was the only one who had ever seemed to understand him and now his half brother was taking his place as her best friend. Was he just now beginning to realize the value of what had been in front of him?

But his frustration at the foolishness that had separated them and the inability to fully rectify it only served to keep the distance that had formed between them present. And by the time he was seventeen he could only watch as Inuyasha's interest in Kagome became apparent to all and was even being helped along by her girlfriends. It was extremely frustrating to watch the whelp grow closer to Kagome. Sesshomaru had already made an attempt at salvaging their friendship and she had accepted but now that he did recognized his own attachment to her she never seemed to look at him as anything more than a friend. What could he tell her now? With Inuyasha's claim on her already he couldn't jeopardize their friendship should she not return his feelings.

Sometimes he wished he did live under the same roof as his half brother so he could beat the tar out of him. Never was this thought more prominent however then on the night of the last school dance of his eighteenth and last high school year. He didn't bother with any of the other silly giggling girls at school and was again sitting home from a dance, opting to prepare for his final exams instead when he heard a car pull up outside. Watching Inuyasha come to Kagome's house to pick her up, and then watching her come out looking so beautiful very nearly broke his guard. His desire for her obviously could not be diminished and to see her in the arms of another, especially his hated half brother, could only be described of as torture. It took a moment for him to catch himself, rip his eyes off of them, straighten up, and walk away.

He would not see her again for seven years.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters do not belong to me and are the property of the genius Rumiko Takahashi.

Notes on Growing Up

Part 2

Kagome had been weary but happy as she had walked off the plane into the terminal. She then had to fight her way through the mass of people, collect her luggage, and catch a taxi to her mothers' house where she would stay for a short time before leaving to start her residency in pediatrics. It seemed as if she'd been gone forever and she was glad to be going home. She had been eager to see all the old and new faces of the people she'd grown up with or heard about through telephone and computer chats. She couldn't wait to catch up with and see the changes in her family and friends lives. Maybe she would even solve the mystery of what had happened to _him_ all those years ago as she had been told he was to come and visit his mother at about the same time as her own return. 'Lots of good memories and even some painful ones when someone comes home' she had thought as she hailed a taxi.

She never found out why he had left so quickly and abruptly so long ago. She had developed quite the crush on him early on but never had the courage to do anything about it preferring to keep him as the cherished childhood friend next door so it would never become awkward if the older boy more than likely didn't feel the same way for his younger neighbor. Surely a boy would never have noticed a skinny tomboy three years his junior when he had so many pretty girls his own age who liked him. And she had been right to worry because by the time he was thirteen he began to distance himself from her, most likely in an effort to rid himself of his childish little shadow so to be more presentable to his crowd of admirers. Hurt and confused at first her mother finally explained some of the finer points of growing up but had also reassured her that if given a little space he might still be her friend.

Why did growing up have to be so complicated? But spending more time with her school friends and less time shadowing him seemed to be exactly what was needed. Not only did she still find common interests but when Sesshomaru's half brother, who was the same age as her, moved there permanently she found he wasn't as bad as Sesshomaru had made him out to be. There certainly couldn't have been a more different pair of siblings, Inuyasha was always into something and her other friends were certainly much more comfortable with him instead of Sesshomaru. And after some time apart just like her mother had told her, Sesshomaru came around with the proverbial olive branch. She was definitely happy to consider herself his friend again but was sure to give him his space this time around, and was definitely extra careful with her dealings between siblings. Which turned out to be a little tricky to do after Inuyasha had asked her out.

Sango and Rin especially had been terribly excited for her as they had always thought Inuyasha was so cute and that they would make an adorable couple. In her heart she knew she still had feelings for Sesshomaru but was scared to confess any feelings for him only to get pushed away again. And it was obvious how much Inuyasha had come to like Kagome so she had accepted to be his girlfriend knowing she would never have to hide her feelings being with him. And they had been good together. For as audacious as he was Inuyasha could be a surprisingly caring boyfriend. She had thought things couldn't be better when her friends had all decided to go to the dance at the end of their freshmen year of high school. But the next week and several days after she didn't see Sesshomaru in school. Voicing this concern to her mother she found he had applied for and taken his final exams early and then moved to the city of the university of his choice.

She had been incredulous that he'd left without a word even though they lived next door to each other! What had happened? Hadn't they been friends for most of their lives? When she had pressed her mother for answers the only one she got was that his mother had said that he'd been extremely troubled by something that finally came to head with his angry exit. Why had he never told her anything? They had still been on friendly terms although he had gotten even quieter of late if that was even possible. Kagome had been deeply saddened and couldn't even confide it to anyone because of her relationship with Inuyasha.

Her next few years in high school were only a blur for her as she took as many credits as possible to be able to graduate a semester early. She had had her eyes set on that full university study abroad scholarship. And all during that time there hadn't been any word from Sesshomaru except from his mother who said he was doing very well at university and should have no problem fitting into his fathers' company when it came time. She reasoned he must have been so busy with university that he never answered any of her emails. She had been so extremely occupied herself that her early graduation had come before she even knew it. So with lots of goodbyes and promises to keep in touch she was off to study abroad. Inuyasha had tried to convince her to go to a university closer to home but things had since cooled in their relationship whether from the reality of a long distance relationship or from the new girl Kikyo who had taken quite an interest in him, she didn't know. So they had ended their relationship on amicable terms promising to always be friends.

And now when she had finally arrived home everyone had been there to welcome her back. It was only after the party had ended that her mother had told her that Sesshomaru had delayed his visit home. She was saddened that she would miss him again as she had only planned to stay at her mother's house for a couple of weeks. So after a few days of catching up with everyone else she decided to stop by and see his mother. The woman had always had a fondness for Kagome almost treating her like a daughter seeing how she had always been around as a child. It had been a pleasant visit but after Kagome left she couldn't decide whether she was more confused or mad at Sesshomaru. Apparently he had canceled his visit after learning she was coming home around the same time. He was avoiding her! What had she done to warrant his displeasure this time? She had resolved to find out once and for all.

Getting his information from his mother had been the easy part; tracking him down had been harder. Now an integral part in his fathers' thriving company it was hard to catch him in any one place at a time. He traveled a lot. So with her last free days before she was due to start her residency she practically made a camp at his doorstep. The shock on his face when he found her there would have been funny had she not been so angry at him. Needless to say there was plenty of arguing, several accusations, and even some yelling. But after everything had been laid out and desires of the heart revealed what else was there really to do but grab onto one another and never let go?

/

They had had their share of bumps in the road, especially in the very beginning when they almost never were but Kagome knew she would not have changed a thing. Now some twelve years later life was truly good. After that initial stormy encounter of bruised feelings and heartfelt admissions they had settled into a most wonderful relationship marked by long suppressed passion and decidedly similar lifestyles. Their friends and family had not been terribly surprised at the turn of events and had all come to celebrate their quick engagement. After the wedding he had taken a position in the company that required much less traveling as her residency was already taking away a lot of their time together. But upon her completion they had been overjoyed to learn they were expecting their first child. Not to mention the exuberance of the grandmothers to be.

And so here she was looking out the window of their home watching as her husband lifted their youngest into the air and settling the laughing child onto his shoulders as their middle child pulled him in another direction. Being a father sure had changed him she thought with a smile. He was even on cordial terms with his half brother, much to everyone's relief, even though they would never be considered as easy to get along with each other. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by the hand tugging at her sleeve and looked down into the thoughtfully troubled blue eyes of her oldest.

"Mommy how come boys have to be so hard to understand?"

/

AN: Hope you enjoyed


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